Bluebird Racing Car 1935

Discussion in 'Automotive' started by Joe Riley, Jan 14, 2022.

  1. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    Sir Malcolm Campbell poses for the cameras in front of his new Bluebird racing car at the Brooklands race track, 1935.

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  2. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    "It was just over 80 years ago to the day that Sir Malcolm Campbell drove his beloved car known as Blue Bird straight into the record books. He became the first human being to reach 300mph behind the wheel of an automobile, that is if you want to consider the Blue Bird an automobile. This old girl was built with one thing in mind, speed and a whole lot of it."

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  3. Tony Page

    Tony Page Veteran Member
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    Wow!!! Great looking car.
     
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  4. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    Last edited: Jan 14, 2022
  5. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    Sir

    Malcolm Campbell (bio)

    MBE

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    Circa 1935

    Campbell died after a series of strokes in 1948 in Reigate, Surrey, aged 63. He was one of the few land speed record holders of his era to die of natural causes, for so many had died in crashes.

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    Campbell's grave at St Nicholas' Church in Chislehurst
     
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  6. Tony Page

    Tony Page Veteran Member
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    From what I can find it was 900 horsepower, and had 12 cylinders
     
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  7. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    [​IMG]

    Bluebird, Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, 1935.
    UNITED STATES - AUGUST 06: Snapshot photograph of Sir Malcolm Campbell's (1885-1948) car 'Bluebird'. All Campbell's racing cars and boats were painted blue and named 'Bluebird'. This was the second car to be so named. It had already set a number of land speed records at Daytona, Florida, before refitting with a Rolls Royce R-type 2500 hp engine. Campbell drove the car at Bonneville to set a new land speed record of 301.13 mph on 3 September 1935. Campbell developed a passion for speed at an early age. He began racing bicycles before moving on to successfully race motorbikes, cars, aeroplanes and speedboats. He set a number of land speed records in the 1920s and 1930s. His son Donald became the first person to establish both land and water speed records in the same year. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)
     
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  8. Tony Page

    Tony Page Veteran Member
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    That's a lot of horsepower 2500 HP I must have looked up the wrong car.
     
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  9. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    The first car may have been 900HP. They were all named bluebird.
     
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  10. Tony Page

    Tony Page Veteran Member
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    Yes I think that is the case
     
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  11. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I recall all those cars running on the Bonneville Salt Flats when I was a kid, all going for the world land speed record. I wonder why that stopped. Don't tell me a family of endangered burrowing owls moved in.
     
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  12. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    The Green Monster

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    There was an interesting period in 1964-1965 where Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove traded the land speed title back and forth several times. Both of them had accidents which destroyed their cars.

    Art Arfons (1926-2007)

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    Arfons had a shop in his father's feed mill about a half mile, as the crow flies, behind the house where I grew up. He would tie his engines between two trees to test them. It was very loud even at our house. I guess he kept that shop until he died. I figured they moved out as soon as he got serious. The mill is gone now.

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    All of Arfons' cars were called Green Monsters. I think there were at least a dozen versions. Later he started designing jet powered tractors, for tractor pull competitions. Still called the tractors Green Monsters.
     
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  13. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    I think the cost to push the speed much faster became prohibitive due to the engines required. You needed sponsors. Maybe people are more interested in space now.

    When I found this thread I got sidetracked learning more about Art Arfons.



    It's interesting that his car only cost $10,000 (including $5000 for a jet engine) while Breedlove's cost $250,000. This video explains how cheaply he made his cars. It's rather long (15 mins) and has a promotional tone.

     
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  14. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Did you all know the family?
     
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  15. Nancy Hart

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    Nope. I think my mother knew Art's older half-brother Walt, but not that well. We all would have gone to the same schools but non-overlapping time periods. Maybe they were all too busy tinkering with cars. :oops:

    .
     
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